Malone wheless



f U ITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ONE-HALE TO sAMUEL E.

- lVIALONE wH Ess, OF WASHINGTON, msrmor OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR WHEATLEY, OF sAME PLAoE.

v ELECTRlC-RAlLWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,637, dated October 22, 1889.

Application filed July 22, 1889- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MALONE WHELESS, a

- clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it' appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is a system of propelling cars by electricity, which consists,

substantially, in causing electro-magnets A is as follows:

, placed in a conduitto open the line in the conduit, and thereby circuit the dynamo-current through the motor on the car.

:The manner in which this is'accomplished Figure 1 is alside elevation of a car and section v ew of a magnet and connections in f the conduit. 1 Underneath the car is shown a battery of several cells inclosed in the box B,

attached to the bottom of the car, the; two

ends of the batterybeing carried to the small wheels 0 O, which rest always on separate rai1s, (so that the battery on the car cannot short-circuit itself, the separation or insulation of the rail at t preventing this.) Fig. 2

is agpla'n view of the car, conduit-line, and magnet-connections. Fig; 3 is a section view of the supporting-wheel used in this device,

which is providedwith a papier-mach or other suitable non-conducting center.

The operation of the car is efiected in the following manner: E E, Fig. 2,is the conduit.- line carrying the current. from the dynamostation, which we will suppose to be at E, the current flowing in the direction of E. This line is laid in a suitable conduityand after being laid is covered over and leaves no opening between the rails. Extending from the conduitdine, at f f, are wires whichare attached to separate rails on one side of the track. By the use of'these wires the current 'can be circuited through the motor on the car andthen beled back to the conduit-line. This is accomplished in the following manher: The armature K, Fig.2, of the magnet M serves to keep the conduit-line closed at r, by resting against the two ends of the line,

Y i when the magnetMis deadf? but when the .the'car, as shown at B, Fig. 1.

Serial No. 318,281. (Nb model.)

magnet M is vitalized the conduit -line is opened by the withdrawal of the armature K, and the current seeks the rail W through the wire f. It then flows in the direction of the arrow, into the small wheel a, (which is supported on a metal arm 0,) and is from there carried to the motor D, thence-along the line through the motor on the car by the fact of 7 opening the conduit-line at r, (same figure.)

The supporting-wheels of the car perform no part in the circuiting of the current through the car, as they are made dead'or non-conducting by being provided with pa-- pier-mache or other non-conducting centers, and the current flows through the motor from one of the small wheels to the other.-

A description of the car-wheel used is shown in section in Fig. 3, the center H being of non conducting material and surmounted bya metal ring H properly flanged to holdthe car to the rail. The magnet M, Fig. 2, which serves to open the conduit-line by withdrawing the armature K, is vitalized from a storage or other battery placed upon The two small wheels m m are supported by metal arms similar to those shown at n n, and occupy a distance on the car greater than the length of the rail. In this manner one wheel is always on one rail and one wheel on the next rail. It will be noticed that the wires from the magnet in the conduit are fastened in like mannero'. a, one wire to one rail and the other wire to the next rail. In this manner the contact of thesmall wheels m m with the two rails serves to close the circuit in the conduit-magnet as the carmoves. The manner in which this is effected is as follows: E B Fig. 2, are cells of the battery carried on the car. From B one wire is led to the metal arm S, and thence to the rail V, through the small wheel m'., Now the rail V is separated or insulated from the rail V by the opening at 11]. Therefore the current traverses the line a: in the direction of the arrow, passes around the magnet M, thence to the wire 00.

From an it travels to the railV, pursuing the the circuit around through the motor on the.

car and the car is at once put into motion. This operation is repeated as the car passes over every rail and a uniform and rapid speed is acquired. The connections of the magnets to the-track are shown in a simple manner at i i, Fig. 1, it being seen that t' is fastened to one rail and t" to the other, the insulation or opening t keeping the wires from being fastened to a continuous conductor. The motor is geared to the axles in any suitable manner.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new isa 1. The combination of an electric circuit separated at intervals, magnets placed at the points of separation, the armatures ot' the magnets normally closing the circuit, a car provided with a source of electricity and a motor, and two lines of conductors consisting of sections insulated from one another, the magnets and the source of electricity on the car being connected with one line, the motor and the main circuit being connected with the other, as set forth.

2. The combination of an electric circuit separated at intervals, track-rails insulated from one another, magnets placed at the points of separation of the circuit and connected with one line of rails, the armatures of the magnets normally closing the circuit, a car carrying a source of electricity connected with the line of rails to which the magnets are connected and a motor connnected with the other line of rails, the main circuit being connected with the latter line of rails on each side of each point of separation, as set forth.

3. The combination of aclosed conduit with an electric circuit placed therein and separated at intervals, magnets placed at the points of separation, the armatures of the magnets normally closing the circuit, a car provided with a source of electricity and a motor, and two lines of conductors consisting of sections insulated from one another, the magnets and the source of electricity on the car being connected with one line, the motor and the main circuit being connected with the other, as set forth.

4. The combination of a closed conduit with an electric circuit consisting of an insulated main conductor separated at intervals, magnets placed at the points of separation, the armatures of the magnets normally closing the circuit, a car provided with a source of electricity and a motor, and two lines of conductors consisting of sections insulated from one another, the magnets and the source of electricity on the car being connected with one line, the motor and the main circuit being connected with the other, as set forth.

5. The combination of an electric circuit separated at intervals, magnets placed at the points of separation, the armatures of the magnets normally closing the circuit, a car I provided with a source of electricity and a motor, and two lines of conductors consisting of sections insulated from one another, the magnets being connected with the sections of one line of conductors on opposite sides of the points of insulation, and the source of electricity on the car connected with the same line, the motor connected with the other line and the main circuit connected on each side of each point of separation with the sections' of the latter line on opposite sides of the points of insulation,- as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MALONE WHELESS. \Vitness'es:

M. DORIAN, FRANK C. RoAoH. 

